Antiskidding device.



P. A. RUFP. ANTIBKIDDING DEVICE.

Annan-Ion rILBn 130.21, loos.

Patented 0G13. 25, 1910.

2 unire-s113111' 1.

TTDRNEY WITNE88E8:

F. A. RUF?.

ANTISKIDDING DEVICE.

uruonlon rILxzn 1130.21, 190s.

Patented 0015.251010.

2 BHEETS-BHEET 2.

FREDERICK A. RUFE, QF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. I

ANTISKIDDIN G DEVICE.

` Specication o! Letters Patent. v Application mea December 21, 1909.semi m.

Patented oct. 25, .1;910,

To'all whom itvf'mw concern:

vBe it known that I, FREnEncK A. RWE, a citizen 'ofthe United States,and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and usefull Im rovenients in Antiskidding Devices,ofuw lich the following is al full, clear, and 'exact description.

This ,invention relates' more particularly to anti-skidding'devi'ces forfvehicle wheels.

The primary object of the inventionis to provide simple and eliicientmeans whereby I thejlength of the device'when laced .about slightly oneat a time and in' succession and4 the whole device shifted after themovement- .the wheel or other element may' e shortened or lengthened tovar-y the tension or grippm gfefect of the tread rf'm'embers onz thewheel'tire and to adapt the same to com en- `sate for variations in the-size of lthe w eel,

and which device is sc constriicted that the tread chains'orelementshpassing about the tire casin will positively ip the sameand bes o hed that they. wir'creep'or move of the .tread elements, thuspreventing the chain from remaining constantly in one place, as ini htbe the caseV if not permit-ted to move, an at the Sametime causin thegripping element to have" a better ho ding effect u' on the lground asthe wheel rotates.'

Anot erfobj'ect of-theinvention is to 'rovidesmple and eliicient meansfor hol mg the ends of the side members togetherso that the same-mayquickly applied -to orA detached' from the wheel wit out thenecessityfor jacking or raising the wheel.

With these'and other objects in vie'w, the Vinvention willbe'hereinafter more part1culnrl'y described-with.reference tothe accom!Vpanying drawings, which form a part lof this specification, und .will-then be pointedout inthe claims at the end of the descrip- In thedrawings, 'Ire 1 is a side elevation of., one form of eviceembodying myinvention' showing the same applied to 'an autoinobi e -wheel'. Fig."2is 'a detailplan view, partly in section, of one lof lthe tread.

or cham-members. Fig. 3 isla detail plan of a `art of the device'removed from thc wheel. Fig. 4; ,is a transverse section of the ldeviceshowinguhow the same fits about the tire of the wheel, the latter being.shown in dotted lines and the particular tread member shown being theone having its end detachable for i a plurality of yielding connecting Aplacing atension on the device when i "s"`:ffree"4 end is fastened toone of the side' rneribier'sl Fig. 5 shows how the side membersjma`"lie"A lengthenedor shortened by movementfo 'one of the connectinglinks. Fig. 6 s'hovsishoivo the free ends of the device maybe'-l1e'ldlt`o'` gether. Fig. 7 isa partial detallplaislivi' lng how the side linksmuy hnve'a `li'x'rii'td yielding movement; and Fig. 8 is 'adetziilperspective view of one of the 'sidei'lin'kfs 'h5 shown in Fig. 7.ffii?" The dev-ice has two side members adapted to he located onopposite sides of thevtflidel when 'in use. 4Each' side member'comprisesmemher'sf'lo parts or links 12 each of which: has 'it.'lizgp'fv portion13 to which the ends f ,tlie vc'liaini" or tread members 14 and 14, areadaptd't;

vbe held. These members'or devicesl 1 2' liiivel lextending lon oppositesides'Qi.tliffj/5 loo portion 413, so that said loop'pbrtirif` Wil yieldproperly under tension, arms 15 extending on opposite side'soff'tliconnected to links 18 and 19.; lThe 'linlts'llS-l' may be of the usualshort connctin 'ele- '30 ments of the usual construction, an'di'sid'links may not only serve to 'con'nectfthe yield-ingv members 12together, `but lmay 'alsoi serve as means for theattachmentfipfx'addi-xltional chains or tread elements in additin'i tothe use of the loop portion l'fornin'de" pendent thereof-a! preferred.

' The links or elements 19 .arecoi'i'strli,ctfedf1 in such a way aswillbring the end si'offthe members 12 closer togetheror toprnciyeA sameapart to shorten or lenfthenftheffsi r I, members and therebyvarytieterisioiffdff the chain or tread elements afri'dfthe'-A 'rip-5:

ping effect of the same on 'the As shown each link 19 has a projectingpartjip 20 forming a substantially` U-shap e' dtopenf ing through thebody o rtion thereof'il", provides a .pluralit o engaging".poiftions`21, 22- and 23 for t e ends of the inem i rsf 12. As will be seen, thepart 22isat less distance from the art 23 than the'eii' gaging part 21,so t at in 'the fp osiltion' eshown ijn Fig. -5 inf full lins, the'greatest' distance occurs between the endscf"ar'iy'tw'o4 adjoiningmembers 12, wliileif rotarypr'lnov' ment is given tothe link, thedistance" tween the 'end is shortened as showin dotted lines, thuscorrespondingly shorten? ing. the length of the side members. "The"'links 19 have a camlke action and rotary 110 I' way.

links 19 serve as an e ective means for? shortening said side members toadjust and impait proper tension to the tread members or elements.

Each side member has at one end one of the links 18 held to the arms ofthe members 12, and :it the opposite endv of said side members, the ends24 of the end members 12, Figs. 3 and 6, are adapted to be hooked intothe connecting links 18 soas to be detuchnble therefrom. The ends 24 areextended and so formed as to Voverlap a part of the arm to require thelinks to be forced past the saineand thus held `against accidentaldetachment, as the links can be forced by the overlapping end 24 byreason of the members 12 beiner made of steel or yieldin wire, thoughsaid members may be made o any suitable material and in any desired Aswivel connection or device 25- isv held to the ends of the treadmembers which are permanently att-ached to the side members and theseswivels comprise -two members 26 and 27. rllie part or member 27 formsan eye whicliis held to the outer link'of the chain member 14'and has asocket portion 28 in which is rotatively held the stem 29 of the'attaching member 26. This attaching me ber 26 may be made of mal leableiron a d is so formed that the loo ortion 13 of the members 12 may beforce Ainto the space or o ening 30, and the end 31 forced over as s ownin dotted lines in r-, mits proper movement of the same,andxbyconstructing the said swivel or device 25 in. the manner shown, a verysim le and effective tread 'element is provide which may be readilyattached to'and permanently secured to the members 12 or to the links 18or 19 as d'esired, though ordinarily one or more of said chains or treadmembers as for example, the tread member 14, Fi 1 i and 4, have a hookeddevice 33 whic is adapted to engae; the eye of one of the side members.e purpose of having one or more of the tread members permanently. fixedto one of the side 'members and detachable at its other end is t'givetension to the side members and to rmit the' same to be readily appliedto t e vehicle wheel. The side members of the device, as ap lied to thevehicle wheel, when one of the c `ain members is free, will assume in'part the position shown in dotted lines in-Fig. 1, but

when the freel end of said tread member 'is fastened to the-sidemembers, it will canse the same to be forced outward to 'thepositionshown in full lines thus increasin tension of the device about the wheeltire.

When desired and piirticularlk; for large curs orveliicles, I prefer toliiniiv the yielding movement of each of the side links by using linksof the form indicated at 34 34,

the

in order 4that the side members will not stretch too much or lose theirresiliency as it -is desired that the device be held against freemovement about the tire, and in some cases where the yielding effect ofthe side links are not limited, they sometimes stretch and remain inthis position and ultimately destroy the gripping eilect desired. Tothis end, I provi e each side member with a pluralit-y of linksconnected together in the -manner similar to that already described,

and .each side link 34 has a looped portion 35 for the attachment of thetread chains or members 14 and 14. Each link or member 34 has arms 36extending on opposite sides of the looped portion 35 and instead ofsaidarms being connected direct to the links as in the other form, the .saidarms are extended inward in substantially arallel relation to the arms36, as at 37, an each inwardlyextending part or arm has an eye- 38 eachinterlocked with the eye of the arm or inwardly-ertending portion 37 oftheother arm. The two arms 36 and 37 form a loo or attaching part forthe short .links 18 an 19, and the eyes 38 are so made as to give acertain play or freedom of movement to the side links by reason of theyielding loop 35, but this movement is limited by the size of theopening 39 of the eyesA or hooked portion .38. As will be seen when theside members are acted, upon by an unusual-weight or for other reasons,each side link 34 will yield a limited distance and then 'will bestopped by the interlocking eyes 38 so that the resilient elect 'of the'looped portion 35 will not be destroyed. This constructionma be used incombination with the side lin s 12l or may entirelydisplace 'the same'if desired.

It will be seen that the tread chains 14".

' either set of chains, may be used ,'indepen ent of the other.

From vthe foregoing, it will be seen thatA a simple and eliicient deviceis provided which may be readily lengthened or shortened to vary thetension of the device; that simple means is provided for holding theyielding members together; that simple means is pr9 vided whereby aneffective connection is members of the device; that said device issoconstructed and the tension so formed that the said device will canseits tread ele- .ments to creep one at a time in succession lformedbetween the tread elements and side -iso' or skidding of the tire of thewheel; that simple means is provided to limit the yielding etl'ect ofthe side members; and that saidl device may be easily constructed andapv plied to a wheel and the necessity for jacking the wheel orotherwise liftingI the vehicle from the ground is overcome.

llaving:r thus described m invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. A device of the character described,comprising two side members ha ving yielding links, cam linksconnectiner the yielding links together in such a way as to shorten orlengthen thefsame at will, and 'a plurality of transversely-extendingchains con nected to theside members and ypassing about the tir 2.device of the character described, comprising two linked side membersarranged in parallel relation and each comprisinga plurality of linkedmembers havmg a'looped portion with oppositel.\'c.\, tendin; r armsflormiugr a yielding part for each linked member and each arm having ahooked end. and a plurality ot' rotary and cam-actingr links connectedto certain of the.

linked members, and a plurality of transversely-extending tread chainsconnected to the side members. i

Z5. device of the character described, comprising side members formedoli a plurality of parts, tread members joining the yside memberstogether, and a plurality of links ct'mneeting the parts of the sidemembers'together and comprising a body portion having 'a projectinglpart forming a series of engaging portions and adapted when rotated toshorten or increase the distance between the ends otl said parts ot' theside members.

l. A\ device of the character described, comprisixn;y side membersforn'led of a pluralitv of partsJ tread members joining the side memberstogether, 'and a plurality of cam-acting links connecting the parts ot'the side members together and comprising a bod)- portion having aniuwardly-projecting part forminglr a series ot' engaging portions andadapted when rotated to shorten or increase the distance between theends of said parts of the sidc members.

ll`his speciticatiou signed and witnessed this )tlth da)v of Decemberl). 1909.

